Rising Concerns Over Japan's Contaminated Water Discharge... Strengthened Measures in Domestic Food and Dining Industries

Expansion of Radioactivity Testing for Raw Materials and Finished Products
Increasing Frozen Fish Stockpiles and Securing Alternative Items

As the discharge of contaminated water from Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean enters its final countdown, the domestic food and dining industries are accelerating efforts to devise measures to alleviate consumer anxiety.

Ahead of the release of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, on the afternoon of the 15th, researchers from the Aquatic Products Safety Inspection Team of the Agricultural and Marine Products Inspection Department at the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, are conducting radiation safety inspections on seafood.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the related industry on the 18th, Dongwon Group, the nation's top tuna manufacturer, has doubled the number of radioactive analysis items for raw materials and finished products since the beginning of this year to verify safety. The inspection frequency, which was once quarterly or annually, has been strengthened to once a month or quarterly. In addition to the internal Food Safety Center, an accredited institution, they have decided to undergo additional radioactive inspections by external accredited organizations. This is a measure to enhance the credibility of the inspection results.

The target is to consider using rock salt or lake salt as substitutes if problems arise in domestic salt production due to the Fukushima contaminated water discharge, or to import seafood from Europe instead of Asia as an alternative.

Ourhome, a catering company, completed radioactive inspections on all general seafood items last April and plans to conduct additional tests. They also hold stockpiles of frozen fish such as flounder, Spanish mackerel, and mackerel that can be used for at least four months. A representative from Ourhome explained, "We increased stockpiles more than usual considering the possibility that supply and demand might not be smooth for a while due to consumer sentiment and other issues."

Additionally, CJ Freshway has planned to supply alternative items sourced from offshore areas such as Northern Europe for popular domestic seafood like lobster, snow crab, shrimp, and smoked salmon for the time being.

A citizen is looking at the sold-out salt display at a large supermarket in Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Japanese government plans to proceed with the contaminated water discharge this summer if Tokyo Electric Power Company, the nuclear plant operator, completes the discharge facility construction this month and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) does not point out any significant issues in its final report, expected as early as this month. Since the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, the domestic food and dining industries have mostly avoided handling Japanese seafood and have diversified seafood import sources with options such as Norwegian mackerel and Senegalese cutlassfish. However, there is concern that consumer sentiment toward related products may be negatively impacted again due to the contaminated water discharge issue.

As consumer anxiety spreads, salt is running out in the market and prices are rising. According to the price comparison service Danawa, from the 7th to the 13th of this month, online salt transaction volume increased by 817% compared to the previous week, and the average transaction price for 20 kg of sea salt rose 83% to 57,840 KRW from the previous month's average of 31,540 KRW. Furthermore, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the retail price of coarse salt was 12,649 KRW for 5 kg as of the 14th, which is 13.0% higher than 11,189 KRW a year ago and 60.8% higher compared to the average price of 7,864 KRW. The average price is calculated as the three-year average excluding the highest and lowest prices over five years from 2018 to 2022.

However, the government has drawn a line, stating that although the proportion of individuals purchasing sea salt has increased, there is no situation likely to cause supply issues. At a briefing on the 15th, Song Sang-geun, Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "After several on-site inspections, there are no signs of hoarding of sea salt occurring at the processing and distribution industry level." He added, "The proportion of individual direct transactions is about 7 to 8% of total transactions, and we judge that the increase in individual direct transactions is not enough to affect the overall sea salt supply and production area prices."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.